Anthracite wallpaper

Anthracite wallpaper sits a step short of black

Anthracite wallpaper gives a wall a deep, cool gray that never quite tips into black. Black closes a room off; corners disappear and the shape of the space goes with them. Anthracite holds a trace of blue, so the surface still answers to light. Around a fireplace or across the back of a den, it carries weight without becoming a statement.

Dark gray paper versus dark paint on drywall

Flat dark paint on drywall is unforgiving: once light rakes across it, every taped seam, screw pop and roller lap turns up. A dark paper brings its own surface, so the eye settles on the weave or a faint sheen. That is why so many dark grays sit in our textile wallcovering and textured wallpaper collections.

How dark gray wallpaper behaves under recessed lighting

Recessed cans throw a narrow beam straight down a wall, which puts a dark tone under real strain. A matte non-woven absorbs it and stays even from ceiling to baseboard. A woven or flecked surface catches the beam and breaks it into highlights, kinder under downlights. Judge a sample of our mica wallpaper after dark as well as at midday.

Rooms that suit dark gray wallpaper

A powder room is a good place to start: you are in it briefly, and dark walls hand attention to the mirror and fixtures. An entryway gains too, where the shift from daylight into a darker hall reads as arrival. In a primary bedroom, keep the tone on the headboard wall. Where a wall takes real wear, in a mudroom or along a stair, see our vinyl wallpaper.

Colors that pair with anthracite

Warm wood, unlacquered brass and honed stone gain from a dark gray behind them. To soften the contrast, run a lighter neutral alongside; taupe wallpaper holds the same cool undertone at a higher value. Push the other way and a true black wallpaper in an alcove sharpens the gray beside it.

The brands behind our anthracite collection

Most of these dark grays come from European houses. Casamance keeps its dark grays restrained and pattern-light. Élitis leans into raw fiber and mica, so the color arrives with texture attached. Cole & Son uses the tone as ground and lets the pattern sit on top of it. Kelly Wearstler, the one American name in the group, works with a bolder, graphic hand. Vescom supplies contract-grade wallcovering for hallways and offices that take steady traffic.

Ordering anthracite wallpaper shipped from the Netherlands

Order a sample before you commit: tape it to the wall you have in mind and look at it after dark, under the fixtures already in the room. Roll math takes an extra step here, because European rolls are sold metric. A common size runs 33 ft (10.05 m) long by 20.9 in (53 cm) wide, so measure the wall in feet, convert, then count your drops. Order the whole quantity at once and every roll comes from one batch. Duties and taxes are included in the price shown.